Crusade: Inquisition
by JDMarx
Summary: Gideon is brought up on charges. (will be completed shortly)
1. prologue

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Who do you serve?

Who do you trust?

Crusade: Inquisition

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Short story by JD Marx

Based on Babylon 5, Crusade, 

Legend of the Rangers

created by

J. Michael Straczynski

Author's Note

The question goes, "What Do You Want?". My only answer would be that Crusade was given a fighting chance that it was not given. What Do You Want? A second chance for Crusade. And I know that this will not happen. Yes, Crusade started out on a rough start, but what television show doesn't. The only reason why Crusade did not survive, was because of TNT. They had no experience with science fiction and so, they tried to butcher the show.

I respect JMS for his belief that he would not want a show he didn't believe it, and rather loose a show he did believe in. Crusade had such potential. May be one day JMS will decide to sanction novels to further the Crusade saga along. One can only hope.

Some of the story is based on the un-produced scripts "Value Judgements", "To the Ends of the Earth", and "End of the Line". Value Judgements concentrated on the Excalibur crew finding Alfred Bester. To the Ends of the Earth concentrated on the Excalibur's encounter with a Shadow hybrid vessel. End of the Line concentrated on the origin of the vessel that destroyed the Cerberus and a military faction behind it.

Some details I have based on outlines I happen to come across on the net of what may have happened during Crusade's course. I also recommend reading the Passing of the Techno-Mage trilogy and the Centauri Prime Trilogy as they give a peek as to what happened before, during, and after Crusade.

Read, enjoy, and review. One day I'll finish the story. 

JDMarx

1/04/03

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-----prologue-----

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The Beta shift, or as the crew like to refer to it as, the _grave yard shift_, had just started, and it was going to be another day on an EarthForce destroyer in the deep of space. But never was another day just a routine day. Everyday was different than the other.

Then the tranquility was sliced by the klaxon of general quarters and everyone rushed to their positions_. _

Another drill, Ensign Matthew Gideon thought as he was attired in his duty uniform.

"Man your battle stations!" The voice of Captain Morgan announced through the entire ship. "This is no drill!"

As Gideon was turning around to head to security operations, the entire ship shuddered as from an impact.

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Another ship,Gideon thought as he ran as everyone else to their assigned stations_._

In ten minutesGideon stepped out of SecOps in security armor and a PPG in his hand. He stepped out of SecOps and placed his field helmet on his head.

As he maintained position around deck 4, his link chirped.

"Gideon," he said as he spoke in the skin tab communication device.

"Report to the bridge, ASAP!" The voice of the ship's XO, Commander Lucas ordered.

"On my way," Gideon responded and ran toward the forward section dodging the other crew like a football player in a game coming down to the last second of the game.

When he rounded the corner to the bridge hatch, he slowed his pace and entered through the open hatch. When he stepped onto the bridge there was a blinding white light and he was floating in zero gravity with a propulsion unit strapped to his back.

Before he could react, the _Cerberus'_ conventional drives ignited and drove forward away from Gideon left behind as the hostile craft began another attack run on his fleeing ship which had formed a jump point.

"No!" Gideon's screamed endlessly as a red beam of intense energy shot out from the front of the black craft which disturbed Gideon down to his soul. There was something about the craft that seemed totally evil.

The _Cerberus_ took the brunt of the attack and erupted in a mass explosion near the jump point where debris was pulled into the energy vortex and released in hyperspace.

The ship vanished, and Gideon floated helpless. 

The flotilla of black unmarked flyers flew near him as the sight of them brought him hope. 

"--is Ensign Matthew Gideon, of the Earth Alliance Destroyer Cerberus, to unidentified ships. I need your help. My ship has been destroyed. I don't know if you can hear me, I don't know if you can understand me. But--in thirty minutes, I'll be dead and---there will be no one left to speak for the people who died here. You have to help me, you have--" The ships continued onward to their destination as if ignoring Gideon's plea.

"Don't go. Don't-- Don't go..."

The cries of his fellow shipmates echoed in his mind as it muffled his fear of dying. The rage inside him furying as it kept his thoughts off of suffocating. But the thought that paralyzed him was dying alone. Gideon was never afraid to die. It was just a fear to die alone. Dying in vain and dishonorable manner. He had always wanted to go out fighting. And all he could do was plea for the ships to stop before they got out of communication range. 

As the cries of his crew echoed in his mind, a shadow passed over him.

When he looked up it was one of the flyers. And a hatch on the bottom of the flyer was open, welcoming him in the safe confines away from the hostile vacuum of space.

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Thank you, Gideon thought as he grabbed the frame of the open hatch and pulled himself into the ship.

When the environment was pressurized, he removed his helmet and looked around to examine his surroundings. All he could see was the room was dark, as if concealing the ship.

When he turned his head to the side, a figure was standing beside him. His gruesome burned skin facing him. The eyes burned a way to the bottom of Gideon's soul.

"Captain Morgan," Gideon voice shook.

"Don't let our deaths be silent, Ensign."

"I won't, sir. I swear to you. I'll find out who did this, and make them pay."

At a blink of an eye, Morgan was gone and Gideon was alone.

Until he turned around.

In the middle of the room was a camp fire, and seven cloaked figures standing beside the fire all faced him.

"I'm Ensign Matthew Gideon."

A presence motivated Gideon to turn around and see a robed figure standing in front of him.

"Do not ignore the cries of your destiny," The figure cloaked in a black robe said as he stood still as a statue.

"Who are you?"

"Your destiny awaits," the figure said as in a blink of an eye was gone. 

The room remained, but the camp fire and the robed figures were gone.

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Your destiny awaits.


	2. chapter 1

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-----chapter 1-----

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March 12 2268

0630 hrs EST

The ship moved through the crimson red tides of hyperspace.The graceful yet alien looking vessel knifing through the tides at impossible speeds. A starship designed with the assistance of humans, which for once in their track record of ship building was beautiful to look at; the _Excalibur_.

Inside the spacious cabin belonging to Matthew Gideon, standing before the mirror in the lavatory shaving his face, as the running hot water causes residue to blanket the mirror.

Dipping his hands in the water, washing off the synth shaving cream, he grabs the towel on the sink top and wipes the residue away from the mirror. 

Just when he is about to move off to the hot synth coffee waiting for him on his desk just dropped off by a steward from the galley, he stops; seeing something in a mirror. Something disturbing.

He runs his hand through the front part of his black medium cut hair, and sees what he has feared, but expected ever since captaining the _Excalibur_.

"Gray hair. That's just great." 

Dropping the damp towel in the laundry chute, he moves to the steaming synth black liquid which barely passes for coffee. 

"Nothing like a good cup of synth in the morning," he remarked as he takes a sip of the coffee from the black mug with the sword; the emblem of his ship. _His_ ship. Even after two and a half years of skippering the Victory class destroyer, turned deep range medical research vessel, knowing he was in command of the mightiest, baddest vessel on the block still amazed him.

Though she was bad, it didn't mean she didn't get her six kicked every once in a while. One battle most notably, her first major encounter with Drakh forces a year ago. She was caught by surprise, and barely got out. 

In a year and a half, the Drakh were not the only adversary she has ran up against. But they were the one that hit closer to home. Two years after Earth was infected by the Plague, they still continue to cruise the Rim, the deep range, searching for the Cure.

As he finishes his cup of coffee, he grabs his red and gray uniform coat and steps towards the hatch. The same uniform he damaged intentionally two years ago, by an _accident_ in the laundry. He steps out of his cabin and walks the spacious corridors.

Never before had he been on a vessel where three people could walk in a passageway side by side. On the ships he had been on, two could barely fit. But _Excalibur_ was an exception. 

She was an exception in every field. She maintained artificial gravity, without the use of a rotating section. She had enough fire power to decimate an entire planet. She was the fastest ship in all the fleets. She was also a hybrid. Minbari, Vorlon, and human tech ran deep through her veins.

The beauty she presented by her appearance came no doubt from the Minbari, Vorlon blood in her. If Earth had their way in the designing, she would resemble a bunch of cluttered battered tin boxes welded together around an infra-frame, with an engine attached.

That was where _Excalibur_ excelled. Matthew Gideon wouldn't have it any other way; even though all life on Earth rested un-easily on his shoulder. But when the president of the InterStellar Alliance single handily picks you for a mission of this sort, you can't say no. 

If your going to cruise the cosmos, might as well do it in style. The _Excalibur_ out matched his last command, the Explorer class cruiser _Phoenix_. He could not imagine any other command that matched the _Excalibur_.

"Good morning, Matthew," A voice behind him called. There was only one person on the ship that would call him by his first name as casually as this person had.

"Good morning, Galen. Didn't know you were back."

"I arrived a few hours ago."

"Still not going to tell me what you do when you leave the way you do? Even after all we've been through?"

"One day, Matthew. One day. What trouble have you managed to get into now?"

"We're still waiting for a new target from the Rangers. Until then, there's a group of Raiders operating in this system. If we can track them to their base of ops, we can wipe them out of the equation."

"Yes, I believe I remember of a similar occurrence that took place around five years ago. A Ranger ship, the _Enfalli_ if I'm not mistaken."

"Why d I get the sense that this is not going to be a happy story?"

"They ran into more they could handle, the captain injured, the executive officer standing down, nearly being drummed out of the Anla-Shok. All for staying alive. Amazing, Minbari conviction. Live for the One, Die for the One. Born in starlight, die in starlight. A rather poetic folk."

"What happened to the XO?"

"Oh, he got to command the _Liandria_."

"The _Liandria_? David Martel?"

"Yes, you know of him?"

"Every once in a while we'll rendezvous with the _Liandria_ for intel updates. Tough little ship. Went up against a handful of Hand ships, and got out barely with their lives."

"I have learned never to underestimated the Rangers."

"Really? Well, the sooner they find a clue for the cure, the better."

"Growing weary are we, Matthew?"

"Two years already, Galen. And what? Small advances in medical science. But nothing that comes close to the Cure."

"You have the nano-screen. Do you not?"

"But nothing for the Cure. Oh, and on top of the Drakh and Hand threat, we've got the Storm to worry about."

"Ah, yes, the Storm. I sense you are regretting your decision in keeping silent about the division salvaging Shadow vessels?"

"No. I just wished their was something else we could have done. But from what I've learned these many years, advice from a Techno-Mage should not be over looked."

"Ah, spoken as a true Techno-Mage."

"Anyway," Matthew said as they reached the steps leading up to the bridge. "You saved my life."

"One day, Matthew."

"One day, what?"

"The Storm will come again."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Gideon said as he entered the bridge.

"Good morning, Captain," the voice belonging to his XO, Lieutenant John Mathis announced. Mathis at his usual position behind the navigation stations with a compad in his hand. Gideon wondered if John slept with the compad. It was always with him.

"Status report?"

We're orbiting the system in hyperspace. Still nothing of Raider activity."

"I want these bastards, John. Their last hit was a colony ship. Hundreds of people lost, and for what? So someone could make a quick credit."

"We'll get them, Captain. We've got recon probes dropped in every corner of the system. First sign of Raider activity, and they are ours."

"I'll take your word for it. Carry on. I'll be in my office."

"Aye, Sir."

Gideon stepped away from Mathis with Galen in tow behind him. Galen, like Gideon's shadow. Every time he nearly lost his life, Galen was always there. 

First it was after the _Cerberus'_ destruction by the Shadow hybrid ship recovered by the Storm. He was floating in the black of space, when a flotilla of Techno-Mage flyers passed him by.

They ignored his hail. All except for Galen.

Second it was on the planet where the Storm were excavating a Shadow ship. Galen came to the rescue once again.

Third, it was when Gideon had ordered _Excalibur_ to Mars Dome, where he was going to blow the lid right off the renegades within Earth Force. There plans to recover all the Shadow ships left after the war's end.

He was standing in the middle of Mars Dome Square with the senior staff around him. All except for Galen who he literally told to get lost. The entire time he was on _Excalibur_, he had his own agenda. The entire time he knew of an organization salvaging abandoned Shadow ships. And he didn't tell him. Gideon thought they were friends. So in the heat of things, he told Galen to get lost.

But right before he was going to enter Mars Dome, a sniper had taken up position and had him in the cross-hairs. The sniper was playing a deadly gamble, as his rifle was a sniper slug thrower. The slight mis-calculation in his aim could cause a ricochet that could result in a breach in the dome. And the dead of hundreds of people inside.

The discharge of the slug rifle crackled, muffled to in-audibility by the morning crowd gathered at Mars Dome Square as the slug knifed through space to get to it's determined target.

But Galen was not to far away; as always. Sweeping above the crowd on a flying platform, he projected a force field around Gideon, and took the round in his chest. The low level force field that he was able to project over his body was just barely enough to slow the slug's momentum. In the end, the damage the slug made was sufficient.

Escaping Mars to the safety of _Excalibur_, it almost looked as if Galen was not going to pull through this time. But as Galen always said: "Never underestimate a Techno-Mage."

And here they are today, two years later after the event on Mars. The friendship mended, and the quest for the cure continuing.

"How long are you going to be onboard this time, Galen?"

"Until matters pull me away."

"Anything on the Storm?"

"Nothing. It still remains the calm."

"Doesn't mean there not there."

"No, it doesn't."

"Dark days are ahead, Galen. I know it."

"Every day I know you, you are beginning to sound more and more like a Techno-Mage. I'm proud of you, Matthew."

"Yeah, well I don't know how to take that. If we don't find a cure, Earth dies. We have a potential threat represented by the Hand. There's the threat of the Drakh. And we have the Storm, playing with Shadow tech.

"The universe barely got out of the Shadow War. Earth barely made it out of the Civil War. The attack on Earth by the Drakh crippled Earth forces. So, we have the Interstellar Alliance playing body guard until our forces are restored. There's no way in hell we can survive another conflict. No way in hell."

"A poet once said: _to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. _Another human said: _give me liberty, or give me death._ And another said: _Never give up, even when defeat is in favor. For we all make the future."_

"I know the first two quotes, but the third is new. Who said it?"

"Yours truly," Galen smiled as he walked away from the conference room, leaving Gideon with papers to look over.

"Techno-Mages."

"I heard that! Galen announced as the side hatch closed behind him.

A smile appeared on his face as he started his day like he always did, barring from a military encounter; paper work.

As he began to go through the latest reports, he lowered his cup of coffee, placed his hand in his palm, and allowed his head to drop on the table. Emitting a thump in which all on the bridge could hear.

Mathis in the control section of the bridge turned around, to see others looking back at the captain with his head down.

"Captain, you all right?" Mathis inquired from the area of the command chair.

"Just fine." Gideon said with his head remaining down. "Thank you."

Mathis nodded at the crew to continue with their duties. He turned around to look out the view port showing the tides of hyperspace, with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Going to be one of those days." Mathis whispered.

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	3. chapter 2

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-----chapter 2-----

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1020 hrs EST

Mars, the rust red fourth planet from the sun, hangs in the background of stars as hundreds of starships orbit the planet named after the god of war.

Ever since the Drakh attacked Earth, and all Earth forces mobilized in the second largest mobilization since the Battle of the Line, all inbound and outbound traffic had been banned. Defense grids turned outward to protect Earth had been turned inward, to keep anyone from getting off Earth, and spreading the Plague beyond the globe of Earth. 

Ever since the quarantine, Mars had become the central seat of the Earth Alliance. And the rush hour traffic which belonged to Earth a two years ago had moved to the next door neighbor, Mars.

MarsDome became a secondary capital to EarthDome.

Tension has always been thick between Earth-borns and Mars-borns. Ever since the first Mars settlement was established, Mars was under direct control of Earth. And it continued; even after small groups of _Marsies_ joined togetherto try and free Mars.

The battle would continue through the years. Through the Food Riots, up to the Civil War between Earth and the Insurrectionists, led by Earth Force Captain John Sheridan.

Mar's struggle came to a new dawn when Sheridan's forces returned to Earth, to bring Earth Alliance President Clark to justice, and return Earth to the people. Sheridan surrendered himself to the Alliance, with an _ace in the hole_.

Instead of facing court martial, and life on a penal asteroid, he became the president of the InterStellar Alliance. When he took the office, one request which was granted was that Mars would be free.

Even though to the day Mars remains free, the ethnic tension remains. _Earther_ tourists on Mars, being attacked by _Marsies_. "Go back home, worthless Earthers!"

In all the years mankind had endured through existence, the advances in medical and space technologies, ethnic hatred remained. And probably would never be erased until the day mankind ended.

Sitting alone in MarsDome Square Gardens, on the far side of the dome from the capital facility, Earth Force General Hillard glances at his watch, sitting in the area surrounded in green.

Hillard could only wonder what Mars was like before it became the barren rock all have come to know and love. What it would had been like to walk through the lushly vegetated fields of Mars. Walking outside the domes that scattered all across Mars without breathers or thermal suits.

May be one day Mars would look like Earth again. But Hillard would not trade Mars for Earth any day. Hillard was one of the high ranking officers off world that fought against the Drakh when they attacked Earth.

Once Hillard heard that a superior alien force was approaching Earth to attack, and that John Sheridan had uncovered it, he was not to jubilous. 

And he was not alone. The last time Sheridan approached Earth with a fleet of starships, it was in the Last Day of the Civil War. A war in which Hillard followed his orders, and stood by his president. Though he avoided prosecution for the orders he followed to this day, he would remain untouched, because he was the Director of the clandestine organization deep in EarthForce beyond recognition. He commanded the Storm.

One day the Shadow vessels throughout the galaxy would be recovered, and fall under his command. His people, would be a storm making its way through the galaxy. And the work that Clark started would continue. Earth for Earth. Earth would be a force dare not to be reckoned with.

Sitting on the park bench, with a man in a dark gray suite sits with shades over his eyes. The sound of birds sounding through the speakers hidden throughout the park.

"What have you got?" Hillard asked, not looking away from the fountain in the middle of the park as a mother walking with her small son around the stone fountain.

"We've discovered a planet on the rim, possible housing a vessel. A team has been dispatched."

"What of the dealings with IPX?"

"The president of InterPlanetary eXpeditions has been successfully, _encouraged_."

"And the other matter?"

"A formidable opponent. A clear and present danger to the plan."

"He is a good man. He served under me on the _Intrepid_. A good man. Not worthy of this fate."

"He is un-_encouragable_, I'm afraid."

"I know that."

"Sources say, he is in allegiance with the Techno-Mage Order."

"Wizards of illusion. They serve no threat. I have been reassured that this associate of Gideon's is a rogue. The Techno-Mage Order will never intervene. But Gideon, is a different story. He is a determined officer. Once he sets his mind to something, it doesn't matter whose feet he runs over, he will achieve his goal. That is why Sheridan chose him for the _Excalibur_. A ship if not for my path, would had been mine."

"The _Excalibur_ would be a healthy addition to the cause. Just not under her current command staff." The _suit_ remarked.

"The threat ends, once and for all."

"Yes, General." The man in the suit responded as he glanced at his watch, and walked off. None of the passing people even suspecting that a high level meeting took place.

"Your a smart man, Gideon. To smart for your own good." Hillard muttered as he looked up to the transparent pressure dome where the sun-rise was shining through.

Hillard continued to sit, as the little boy walking on the edge of the fountain slipped and fell into the water. The mother moved to retrieve her son. The boy was laughing hysterically as was the mother.

That was what humanity was about. Happiness. Freedom. And that was what Hillard and the Storm fought and sacrificed for. And there would never be a day that Hillard surrendered. Either the Storm reigned, or Earth would perish. Earth would not exist without the Storm. 

Gideon and his Techno-Mage associate would never project a threat to his cause ever again.


	4. chapter 3

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-----chapter 3-----

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1223 hrs EST

Remaining in hyperspace, where the high power signals of the dropped recon probes could get to the _Excalibur_ quicker than through normal space, the ship remained orbiting the system beneath normal space.

By now it was mid day, and designated work shifts were either eating lunch, dinner, or breakfast in the mess hall.

To Maximilian Eilerson, the mess hall like everything else on the mile and a half long research ship was spacious. But nothing like the corporate cafaterium at IPX headquarters.

As Max dabbled with his chili, or so the chef called it, chief medical officer Sarah Chambers walked up to the table he was at and sat down. Without asking of course. Because after a two years serving together on the same starship, formalities between the command staff were literally non-existent.

"Good evening, Max," Sarah said as she grabbed her napkin and placed it on her lap.

"Evening," Max responded, continuing to spin his spoon in the chili. But mostly paying attention to the lap terminal before him.

"Interesting reading?"

"Actually, quite a bit."

Not getting anywhere, Sarah decided to press on. "Something Matthew has you working on?"

"You kidding? It's been three weeks since we've been planet-side with decent ruins. All we're doing is sitting. Waiting for the, my personal favorite, Raiders to show up."

"The intelligence I read up about this sector, has the Raider buildup increasing."

"And how did you get a hold of intel data?"

"I have my sources?" Sarah smiled. "You never said, what is it?"

What is what?"

"What are your reading, Max? What is so interesting that your totally ignoring me."

"Oh, right. Sorry. It's a piece of literature I managed to recover and download from our last target site. Took me two and a half weeks to translate the literature."

"Nearly two weeks for you to translate an ancient language? You sure you shouldn't stop by medbay?"

"I'm perfectly find. My knack that we've all come to know and love is still intact. It's just the dialect is similar to Old English like Shakespeare wrote in."

"Story any good?"

"Actually, yeah. When ever we get back to Earth, after our tour of duty is done on this ship, I'll get a publisher and translate it. It's, very interesting."

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"Very interesting?"

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"Very," Max said as he scrolled down to the next page. "Oh, have you heard anything about what happened on the bridge this morning?"

"May be. What did you hear?"

"I heard the captain, knocked his head on the conference room table."

"I heard it to," Sarah smiled. The mood between the two associates began to lighten up. "In fact, I think the entire crew's heard about it by now."

"Heard about what?" A voice said, nearly making Max jump out of his seat.

"Jeez, Galen. I told you not to do that."

"I know," Galen smiled, his wicked smile as moved out from behind Max and stand besides Max and Sarah.

"We were just talking about Matthew's mishap on the bridge, this morning." Sarah announced as she took a sip of her water.

"Ah, yes. Gossip. Surely you have something better to do than poke fun of your commanding officer."

"C'mon, Galen. It's boring as hell, waiting, sitting. We haven't heard anything from the Rangers in nearly four weeks, now. It's like we've ran out of planets."

"Highly, impossible, Maximilian."

"Surely, Galen, gossip is nothing under the stature of a Techno-Mage," Max said as he managed to keep the conversation going and continue to read the literature on his screen.

"Techno-Mages do not gossip. Only unless it best suits them."

"Max was just talking about publishing this alien story he recovered from our last target. You should think about your memoirs after the mission is over."

"The Memoirs of a Techno-Mage," Max announced. "I could see it. Just don't release it the week of mine. In fact, give it a couple of months, or a year. Hell, may be five after mine."

"I assure you, Maximilian, that I will not be writing any memoirs of my presence on _Excalibur_. My journeys are mine, and mine alone."

"Suit yourself," Max responded as he finished his chili, which tasted like soup, and pushed the bowl away.

Galen leaned over Max's shoulder to read the page on his terminal. As he did, Galen's eye brow raised.

"Ah, quite interesting." Galen said before he was off.

"You can read that?" Max asked as he pointed at the alien dialect.

"Do I want to know?" Sarah asked Galen.

"No," Galen responded swiftly and was off. 

As he walked out of the mess, Sarah looked at Max.

"What? It's a classic, okay?"

Sarah smiled and enjoyed her lunch.

At junction 5, deck 12 in the BulletCar tube, standing off on the side of the magtracks, Matthew Gideon sat against the bulkhead, watching as the tubes sped past him, simulating a warm summer breeze back home.

Ever since he discovered it a two years ago, when humanity was being falsely accused at tampering with an alien civilization, he would always come to junction 5 fifteen minutes every day. Sometimes after duty he would spend hours at a time. Sitting, watching the BulletCars whiz by and extremely fast speeds, sipping a cold glass of tea or lemonade. Never did he miss this appointment.

Sitting against the cool bulkhead, he sat with his eyes closed, replacing the soft sound of the BulletCars passing with the sound of ocean waves. Picturing that he was sitting on his back deck at his beach house in Mexico on Earth. Watching as the waves crashed against the shore. Hoping one day he would be able to return. If there was a Earth, and a universe still standing.

Opening his eye, looking down the length of the tube supporting two BulletCars, his link chirped.

"Gideon, go," he said as he raised his wrist.

"Captain, recon-sats are picking up Raider activity five sectors from our location."

"Alter course and intercept. Battle stations."

"Aye, sir."

As Gideon opened the junction maintenance hatch, the sound of the ship going to battle stations rang throughout the ship.


	5. chapter 4

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------chapter 4-----

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1234 hrs EST

By time Gideon arrived on the bridge, Mathis was standing up from the command chair. If he didn't know his XO better, he would swear John was using his empath abilities to sense his presence. But Matthew knew John better than that.

Matthew had known John since he assumed command of the _Phoenix_. When he first came onboard, Mathis, one of the first telepaths allowed into EarthForce service since the disbanding of the PsiCorp, was the deck officer. Third in command.

After Matthew lost his XO in a transfer to the _Agamemnom_, instead of receiving a transferee, Matthew saw the promise in John and gave him the XO position. They served together on the _Phoenix_ for three years.

It was John that stood up for his captain to halt the mutiny when word first came of the plague on Earth and a portion of the crew wanted to stay as far away from Earth as they could. Delaying the mutiny so Matthew could mobilize, John helped save the _Phoenix_.

That was a two years ago. Now Matthew and John stood side by side on the mightiest starship in the systems. On the most important mission ever in human history. The search for the Cure.

And appearing seemingly out of nowhere on the opposite side of the bridge was Galen. Galen, always when you least, and sometimes when you expected him.

"Report, Lieutenant."

"At our current speed, estimated time of arrival to the scene, twenty minutes."

"Inform engineering to redline the engines. I don't want them to get away this time."

"Aye, sir," John said as he relayed the message to the engineering compartment a mile behind his current location. Even John marveled at her size and speed.

After the order was relayed, Gideon sounded his next question. "What did the recon sats indicate?"

"Two class 3 battle wagons."

"If we can take the wagons out, disable one of them, we could trace their course back to their home base," Gideon hypothesized.

"The key word in this case, is disabling on of these battle wagons." Galen let his two cents worth known.

"Weapons array on-line, fighter squads on stand-bye," John announced as the report came in through his comm-set over his short cut black hair.

"Good. We've got the bastards this time. This is for the colony ship." With that remark, Gideon sat in his command chair and pressed the console on his arm-rest which lowered the periscope from the ceiling. There he studied the scanner readings of the region.

Galen leaned over to Gideon's ear. "How's the head?"

Gideon turned around and gave the Techno-Mage a stare that would had put fear in a Shadow. But with Galen, he found it only amusing.

"Lieutenant, what is the fighter compliment for a class 3 battle wagon?" Galen inquired.

"Maximum capacity, four wings. According to Raider protocols, about five fighters in each wing."

"Will be a most interesting day," Galen remarked as he took position beside Gideon. "Glad I would not miss it."

EarthForce protocols forbid civilian personnel on the bridge during a military situation unless directly summoned by the commanding officer.

It didn't surprise Gideon that Galen would not have any problems disobeying protocols. In fact, it was almost comforting to have Galen on the bridge. But Gideon would never tell the mage that. He would never let him forget it.

The crew of the _Excalibur_ had been through hell and back since the start of their mission. And their mission not even close to being completed. But what didn't kill them, made them stronger, and brought them closer together.

Even now, Matthew had a fondness of Max. He sure would never let the man, or any onboard know that. Because it would be like asking for a death sentence. Or worse, death of personality. No one onboard would ever let him forget it.

Max came onboard as an arrogant, holier than thou art linguist and xeno-ologist specialist. To this day he still has the same qualities. But Mister Eilerson's knack in translating a language not spoken for thousand of years is what got him the job on _Excalibur_. Even though at one time Matthew considered even though Max was a pain in the ass, 'he would be our pain in the ass,' was the phrase he used when he told John that he was bringing Max onboard.

"ETA, fifteen minutes." John announced.

Gideon was getting in the zone, that every commanding officer got into before a battle. Accelerated heart beat, adrenaline screaming throughout his body. No commander was immune to it. He was even sure not even John Sheridan. He only imagined that it would be worse now with Sheridan stuck behind a desk on Minbar leading an InterStellar Alliance.

Breaking the tranquility before the storm, an alarm sounded from the scanner station manned by a middle-aged woman who did not look a year out of the Academy. But she was the best of the best. Because only the best served on _Excalibur_.

"Report?" Gideon ordered as John walked over to the station, looking over the young ensign's shoulder at her readout display.

"Aft scanners are picking up a silhouette on an intercept course."

"Raiders?" Gideon inquired as the silhouette appeared on the scanner display. But it looked more like a ink blot than anything recognizable.

"Negative," John said, and looked away from the display to Gideon, sitting on the edge of his seat. "A Warlock destroyer."

"What the hell?"

"Always when you least expect one," Galen muttered.

"They are hailing us," John announced.

"Put it up," Gideon ordered as he stood from his chair, and walked over to the vid-screen on the left of the bridge where a moderately aged man appeared.

__

"Excalibur, this is Captain Martin Doherty of the EAS _Pathfinder_."

"This is Captain Matthew Gideon. You've picked a tensed time for a visit, Captain. What brings you out here in our neck of the woods?"

"This isn't a social call I'm afraid. Captain Gideon, under Article 7 paragraph j of the EarthForce Code of Justice, I am relieving you of command of the _Excalibur_. You are to stand down and prepare for transport to Mars."

Matthew stood still as a statue as if the entire world around him stopped. He stood within the moment, seemingly forever.


	6. chapter 5

****

-----chapter 5-----

__

1303 hrs EST

Matthew Gideon's world was turning upside down. Actually, it felt like his entire universe. Sitting alone in his cabin, with his duffel bag on his bed, packed with all his belongings, he waited to be transferred to the _Pathfinder._

Sitting at his desk, flipping his pen through his fingers as he did when he was either nervous or lacked anything to do, his link chirped. "Go," he announced into the bracelet.

"Captain," came Mathis' voice. "We have that comm-link with Babylon 5."

"Put it through on standby, Lieutenant."

The screen before him changed from the display of the _Excalibur_ project to the StellarCom menu where LINK ESTABLISHED flashed 

Gideon positioned himself in his chair and raised his link. "Do you have it?" He asked.

"As you asked. The best fake transmission money can't buy." The voice of Galen answered over his link. "But I'm a Techno-Mage, not a miracle worker. But it will accomplish it's task."

"Understood. Thank you, Galen. Knew there was a reason why I kept you around." Gideon aid as he placed his finger on the LCD screen to receive the transmission waiting on him.

"Charming," Galen muttered before the link was severed.

Appearing on the vid screen before him was the profile of a woman who's job he did not envy her for. The job of governing a five mile long station with a quarter of million citizens. A woman who in the past year has become something he never really had; a lover.

"Captain Lochley, sorry to interrupt anything."

Captain Elizabeth Lochley smiled which made Gideon felt like a school boy with puppy love. "Good to talk to you again, Captain Gideon. What can I do for you?"

"I have a favor to ask of you, Elizabeth."

"Name it."

"In an un-official fashion."

Lochely's eye brow rose.

"I need you to fill in for me on the _Excalibur_ while I'm gone."

"Well, it's pretty quiet for a change. But the silence never lasts. The InterstStellar Alliance has a conference in three days. It's nothing Lieutenant Commander Corwin can't handle. If I may ask, where are you going on your vacation?"

"Mars. I have an appointment for a military board of inquiry."

"Regarding?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I don't know. I need your help. MarsDome is leaving Lieutenant Mathis in charge. But I would appreciate it if you could fill in. Not that I question John's command ability. It's just we're in a significant situation, which John will brief you when you arrive."

"I will make the arrangements. I don't know how to file this. But I'll be there."

"As we're speaking, there is a simulcast transmission covering our transmission. This will give us some cover. Thank you."

"Good luck, Matthew."

"And you," Gideon said before he cut the link. He stood from behind his desk, and grabbed his duffel on his bed and made way to the hatch.

"Leaving without a good-bye. Matthew, I'm hurt."

Gideon stopped as Galen stood in front of the hatch. From the inside of his cabin.

"I really wished you wouldn't do that. Some day, you'll tell me how you sneak into my cabin."

"One day, if we live to that day."

"Good bye, Galen."

Galen stepped aside and Gideon stepped out into the corridor.

"Matthew."

Gideon stopped and looked around to see Galen had vanished. But a rush of wind brushed up against him. May be an abnormality in the air circulation system. Or may be an illusion from the resident wizard.

"You are not alone. You have never been. You will never be."

Gideon nodded, and walked to the BulletCar station.

Gideon stepped off the BulletCar in the flight bay and proceeded to the pressure hatch which stood open with a platoon of seven marine guards waiting on him. From the looks of their hardware, they looked like special forces.

John Mathis stood in their path, keeping the guards confined to the bay. Gideon could tell Mathis did not like the current situation. He also knew that if Mathis had to, he could take out half of the group. He knew Mathis wanted to. He did not want to see his captain railroaded like this.

"You have the wheel, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir."

"Try to keep her in one piece while I'm gone. No wild parties. No guests, you know the routine."

"Aye, Dad." John smiled. "She'll be in one piece when you return."

Gideon returned the smile as he looked at the marines wearing their armor. "Nice set up? All this for me?"

"We want the Techno-Mage."

__

Techno-Mage? The name spoken forced Gideon to put on his best poker face. "Techno-Mage? Lieutenant? Do we have a Techno-Mage onboard, and I wasn't told?"

"Sir?" John asked as he stood motionless.

"Lieutenant, what did I tell you about picking up strangers? God knows what hitchhikers are like in this part of the system."

"No, Sir. I don't know of any Techno-Mages." Mathis responded with his well maintained poker face.

"Major, do you see a Techno-Mage ship on the flight deck?" Gideon asked, looking over his shoulder to where Galen's flyer was always berthed. No surprise the black sleek craft was not there. Obviously an illusion.

"We know you are harboring a Techno-Mage. He is also to be transported to MarsDome."

"Sorry, gentlemen." Gideon replied. "Like a said, no Techno-Mages here."

"Spread out. Check your scanners," The major said. With that, his fellow troopers rushed passed Gideon and Mathis and _Excalibur_'s own marines.

"Just what the hell do you think your doing?" Gideon asked as the major walked past him to follow his troops.

"Following orders."

"Like, hell. This is still my ship."

"Not for long."

"Bastards! Lieutenant, mobilize security." The second part of his order never left his mouth, but echoed in his mind so John could hear it. _Get Galen off the ship._

"Aye, sir."

Gideon and Mathis walked through the corridors to follow the troops. So many questions on his mind. _How the hell did they know of Galen_? _And what technology could sense a Techno-Mage_. 

In the blink of an eye, the answer was as loud as a sonic boom._ Oh, hell. Shadow tech. The Storm._


	7. chapter 6

****

-----chapter 6-----

__

1315 hrs EST

Two decks from Gideon, Galen walked through the corridors where he met up with the residential thief, Dureena Nafeel.

"You heard about the Captain?" She asked. Knowing that there was nothing a Techno-Mage was not aware of.

"I heard," Galen said as he continued to walk.

"He's not going to go along with this. Is he?" She asked, hesitating a moment before she sprinted off to catch up with Galen.

"He has very little choice, other than to _go along_.

"He's needed here."

"Yes, he is."

"And you have a plan, don't you?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes."

"Want to feel me in?"

"Yes," Galen said, and continued to walk. Interrupting Dureena was the voice of Lieutenant Mathis.

"Security alert. Security alert. Priority X. Priority X."

Dureena and Galen looked up at the speakers, as marines rushed down the corridor shouting for everyone to move aside.

Gideon caught up with the Major and placed his arm on the marine's shoulder buried under the armor and turned him around. Not caring that a high powered PPG was aiming at his head.

"Get the hell of my ship. It's me your after."

"And the wizard." The Major replied. "Do not interfere, Captain. Your already in deep water as it is. Assist us, and it just looks better on you."

"There is no Techno-Mage."

"Your lying," the Major returned, then walked away.

Galen and Durenna continued to walk to the flight deck, when Galen halted and felt an un-easiness. A disturbance in his tech, warning him that there was a darkness onboard. A darkness that he only experienced when he was around the influence of the Shadows. The makers of the Tech that ran through Galen's essence.

"Oh, my."

"What?" Durenna inquired.

There was a commotion at the far end of the corridor which Durenna glanced at. When she returned to see Galen, standing before him was nothing but a bulkhead.

"Galen?"

Three marines in heavy armor stepped into the corridor and rushed past Durenna. In their hands were a high powered PPG rifle.

"Freeze!" One of the guards said. In unison the guards raised their rifles at Galen and Dureena. But Galen knew they were pointed at him.

"I give up," Durenna said as she raised her arms.

"Where is the Mage?"

"The what?" Durenna inquired.

The corporal approached her with a tracking device she had never seen before. "We know he was here. Where is he?"

"What's a mage?"

Several passageways away from where Durenna was being drilled by the marines, Galen's Tech generated a cloaked field which made him invisible from the crew members he past over, with the aid of a flying platform.

Galen zigged zagged through the corridor until he reached an access tube that he knew would lead him to the flight bay, and off the ship.

If the marines onboard using the Shadow Tech, no doubt members of the beloved Storm, could sense his presence as he heard via the nano-scopic probe on Durenna's tunic. It was only a matter of time before they found his flyer.

If they had not already.

The hatch flew open, which made a young ensign look in awe as she saw the hatch open by seemingly nothing. As if a ghost had opened the hatch.

Galen laid flat on his stomach on the platform and propelled himself with the equation of forward motion in his Mind's Eye. The control interface of all Tech.

"This is Team Charlie," The voice came over the Major's link on his gauntlet glove he wore on his right. The hand which finger hovered over the trigger of his rifle. "We picked up something, but is gone."

"He's still on this ship," the Major announced. "Find him. And the wizard's ship."

"Aye, Major."

The Major turned to the lieutenant beside him. "Begin bombarding the flight deck with anti-polarons. The ship's cloaked won't be able to take much of the assault."

"Yes, Major."

Gideon stood with Mathis as they saw the lieutenant walk off back towards the flight deck.

"Help us now, Captain."

"I've already told you, Major. No wizards here."

"Than how do you explain the trace."

"Glitch in your scanners. By the way, I've never seen one of those before. Have you Lieutenant?"

"No, sir. They must be new."

"Your delaying. It will only be harder on you at the end."

"So I can imagine."

Galen, on his flying platform cloaked entered the flight deck and proceeded to his invisible flyer. According to the probe on Gideon, he would hear the marine's plan on bombarding the flight deck with polaron particles. Polarons particles were the only way the marines would find his flyer. His ship's tech would not be able to hide his flyer for long under the bombardment.

So now, came his next plan.

Entering his flyer, he flew towards the cockpit, and stepped off the platform and onto the deck. He sat at the controls, and closed his eyes; envisioning the Mind's Eye.

Calling up the control interface on the probes placed on the _Excalibur_'s hull, he envisioned three Drakh attack cruisers appearing out of no where.

On the bridge of _Excalibur_ and the _Pathfinder_, the three cruisers appeared not only on scanners, but to the eye of anyone looking out a porthole.

"Battle stations," the chief of the watch on _Excalibur _echoed through the ship. "Three Drakh cruisers off the port and starboard quadrants."

"Hell," Gideon said. _How the hell did they know where they were. Unless, it was Galen_?

The deck of _Excalibur_ shook as she took a simulated hit, which the probes spread the shockwave.

"Bridge, get us out of here," Gideon ordered through his link.

"Maneuvering down," the chief of the watch responded. "We've got a malfunction in the flight bay! Decompression in twelve seconds."

"Evacuate the bay," Gideon ordered.

In the flight bay, Galen's flyer took off from the deck, and hovered towards the bay doors which would open once all personnel were evacuated, and he gave the order.

In his Mind's Eye, he saw that all the crew were out of the bay, and opened the doors.

The doors rose, and before they opened fully, Galen propelled the flyer out of the bay and ahead of the _Excalibur_ and _Pathfinder_ ahead into the crimson tides of hyper space.

"Destination?" The computer inquired.

"Minbar," Galen answered. Sitting back, bring up his Mind's Eye, he ordered the Drakh cruisers to vanish as swift as they appeared.


	8. chapter 7

****

-----chapter 7-----

__

March 15

1625 hrs EST

Captain Elizabeth Lochley's Starfury coasted through the tides of hyperspace where ahead was her destination: _Excalibur_. Acquiring clearance to land by the ship's XO, Mathis, she guided her x-framed heavy duty space fighter to the flight deck.

Acquiring lock with the ship's guidance computer, she held the ball and skimmed through the mass-field and inside the flight bay, where a vacant support structure awaited her arrival.

Landing her Starfury on the structure, she powered down her systems one at a time and removed her helmet. The bay pressurized and her cockpit swung open.

Stepping on the deck in her flight suit, she proceeded to the now-open pressure door where John Mathis stood alone, waiting for his new commanding officer.

"Permission to come aboard," Lochley requested as she removed her gloves a stashed them in her helmet.

"Permission granted. Welcome back, Captain."

"I wish it was under different circumstances, Lieutenant. I really do."

"I think we all do, Captain. If you'll follow me, I'll escort you to your cabin."

"Later, Lieutenant. I want to be fully briefed on _Excalibur_'s current situation."

"Aye," Mathis responded as he led her to the BulletCar station and summoned the express car that would take them directly to the bridge.

The Car pulled up to the station, and Lochley entered with Mathis behind him. Now, they could talk without being heard.

"We've tracked a Raider band into this system. Captain Gideon planned on taking out one of the battle wagons we're tracking, and tagging the other which would lead us to their base of operations."

"Seems a straight forward op. Anything from Captain Gideon?"

"Nothing. I've been in communication with MarsDome, and they are denying everything."

The BulletCar pulled up to the command deck station. Lochley could sense the distress Mathis was experiencing.

"Captain Gideon's a good captain. The best I've known. He can take care of himself."

"Normally I would agree, Captain. But this time, I feel the odds are against him."

The two stepped off the BulletCar and proceeded forward to the bridge. "Intercept course is plotted," John announced as they entered the bridge. 

Once on the bridge, Lochley took the captain's seat. "Lieutenant, set course to intercept the battle wagons. Best speed."

"Aye, sir." Mathis replied as he transferred the order to navigation.

"Battle stations," Lochley ordered.

As if Lochley had always commanded _Excalibur_, the crew followed her orders to the letter. She felt a sense of comfort on _Excalibur_. 

She was at the wheel of the most powerful ship sailing the stars. She could even take Babylon 5 out with one attack from the ship's main guns. 

She was glad the _Excalibur_ was on their side. She would hate to go up against the ship, and the crew that have become like family to her.

Albeit a distant family. But non-the-less, family.

As _Excalibur_ altered course to bear down on the battle wagons, her thoughts went out to Gideon. She would had rather stood by his side during the inquisition, than hunting down a band of Raiders.

But she was on _Excalibur_, and had a job to do in a small window of time.

"A few days at most," Lochley said to her executive officer, Lieutenant Commander David Corwin, in describing her absence.

Lochley knew that Corwin suspected something other than what she was revealing to him. But Corwin knew not to question orders no matter what. And only if he questioned orders, was if they tugged at his conscience.

The Battle at Epsilon saw Corwin making a decision to stand by Sheridan and fight against his fellow brothers and sisters. The battle which became one of the bloodiest battles to occur in Neutral Territory.

The story she revealed to him was that she was being asked _personally _by a colonial governor to analyze colonial defenses of a outpost that bordered the hot zone which proved evident that the Hand occupied. 

She had her Starfury prepared with fuel tanks attached to the missile hard-points on her x-frame and was off to rendezvous with _Excalibur_. 

The story was plausible. If not for the search for the cure, and the seemingly endless stand-off with the Drakh, humanity would go into the hot zone and take the potential threat that the Hand represented, or negotiate. But so far, any attempt of negotiation with the Hand came up empty.

Time would tell what true threat the Hand would present. Time would tell if they posed more a threat than the Shadows portrayed during the recent Shadow War. A war that which the galaxy continued to rebuild from.

There was no way in hell that Earth could fight a two-front war. One front being against the Hand and the other being against the Drakh. God helped them if war did break out before the Cure was found.

If that was ever to happen, Lochley believed that the search for the Cure would be terminated, and the _Excalibur_ would lead the offense against the enemy. And Earth had four and a half years remaining before the Plague wiped all life off on Earth.

"Why take a fury, Captain?" Corwin inquired on the Command in Control Deck which offered a breathless view of the stars and at certain orbits the planet Epsilon which she orbited. "The evidence shows that the Damoclese system may border Hand occupied territory."

"I will be rendezvousing with a colonial cutter that will take me the rest of the way," Lochley said in a lie. She disliked lying to Corwin. Commanding and earning the trust of your officers demanded truth. But under the circumstances, the truth was an element in the universe that was rare.

"Why the spare fuel pods?"

The question stopped Lochley for the briefest of minutes. Brief enough for Corwin to have evidence of his suspicions.

"Understood, Captain," Corwin responded as if taking a weight off of Lochley's shoulders.

"I wish I could discuss this, Lieutenant Commander, but not---"

"At this time, aye. It's not the first time a senior officer has disappeared for a few days. But those days were back when the Shadows were rising," Corwin paused and gave her a stern look followed with a smile. "They're not back yet, are they?"

Lochley smiled at her XO. "No, they're not," she began to walk away but stopped in midstep. "Thank you."

"Safe trip, Captain. Bring me back a souvenir."


	9. chapter 8

****

-----chapter 8-----

__

1949 hrs EST

The architecture of Minbar was the most beautiful, and unique to any eyes that set gaze upon them. Buildings constructed of crystals reaching through the clouds of the world. Tuzanor, the planet's capital of the Alliance and industrial center for the entire world. 

The planet's capital remained at Yedor. A decision for having the ISAlliance away from the Minbari Federation's capital, made by Sheridan and his first lady, Deleen.

The lesser industrial cities remained the way they were for thousands of years. Crystal towers and buildings, while Tuzanor's buildings were more industrial in appearance.

On the far end of Tuzanor sat the ship yards where currently a handful of Minbari ships sat, waiting for their time to stretch forth to the skies, and the stars beyond.

Beyond the yards was the Ranger training facility. Recruits that entered the facility would emerge as Rangers, or as failures. The Rangers had the highest count of failures in all the system's military. They were the best of the best. Nothing less was allowed in the ancient Minbari fighting force.

Since the InterStellar Alliance was based on Minbar, and a human president governed the organization, more humans and other aliens were joining the Rangers. A society as ancient as the Minbari civilization itself.

The irony, a human governing an organization on Minbar. When decades ago, humanity was on the verge of extinction by the Minbari. The darkest days of mankind, until now.

John Sheridan, president of the mightiest commonwealth in the universe sat behind his desk in the Capital Tower inside Tuzanor.

Before him sat paper work waist high. He missed the old days, of being a fighter, a soldier. Never did he figure himself as a bureaucrat. If someone had told him that he would become president of an alliance when he first arrived on Babylon 5, he would had labeled them as crazy.

When he first arrived on Babylon 5, he missed his _old girl_, the _Agamemnom_. One of the few surviving Omega destroyers that survived the Earth/Minbari War, and the Battle of the Line.

She survived the line, only after the captain of the time, Laurence Best seeing they were outnumbered, ordered the retreat. The _Agamemnom_ ran, to fight another day.

After Best retired, Sheridan took command of her. He always dreamed of skippering an Omega. And when he found out he had been given command of the _Agamemnom_, he jumped in joy, and knelt in sorrow. He would miss his rendezvous with his wife, Anna. If he had made the meeting, it would had been the last time they ever saw one another.

That would be, until he walked through Z'ha'a'dum with her at his side. A collaborator for the evil forces of dark.

After serving on the _Agamemnom_ with distinction, he would later be transferred as military governor of Babylon 5. As soon as she came on-line, he did not envy her commander, Jeffrey Sinclair. All those people, a quarter of a million human's and aliens, his responsibility.

"You'll never get me on a station," Sheridan had remarked when B5 came on-line and the Vorlon's nearly wiped it off the face of the universe after an attempted assassination was made on their ambassador. A Vorlon that would later serve as Sheridan's mentor, and friend.

But when the late president of the Earth Alliance's last order was for you to take charge of Babylon 5, no one can refuse. Late-president Louis Santiago ordered if anything ever happened to Sinclair, it would be up to Sheridan to take command.

A critical and political decision. For The Minbari Federation put immense funding in all the Babylon stations, most notably Babylon 5. Sheridan, the man that took out the Minbari's flagship; the _Black Star_. After that event, he was labeled the _Star Killer_.

When he came onboard B5, it was going to be a straight forward career move. Succeed, or fail. But that was before he knew of a coup'de'tat of Earth forces. He never imagined an ancient evil returning in his days, and he being the supreme commander to extinguish the dark, and let the light shine onto the future. And he sure as hell never imagined he would go up against his own brothers and sisters in the bloodiest civil war in human recorded history.

He had gone from starship captain, to military governor, to renegade, to supreme commander. Only to end up as President of a mighty commonwealth. Whenever Sheridan would think of this, he would have only one response: "Go figure."

Sheridan sat in silence as he read the latest reports from the _Excalibur_. One advantage of the _Excalibur_ belonging to the InterStellar Alliance, on loan to the Earth Alliance; he got to read all the classified reports. But knowing Gideon, there were probably things that occurred, and never bothered to be logged. Sheridan was the same way, and respected it. Just as long as it did not interfere with the Mission.

An unusual gust of wind brushed against Sheridan, and blew his papers off his desk.

"Damn," Sheridan cursed as he stood up, to retrieve the papers. When he stood up, a figure in a black robe and cloak concealing his identity stood before him.

"Our paths meet again, Mister President."

"Galen?" Sheridan asked, as the figure removed the hood of his black cloak. "What are you doing here?"

"I come, to ask for your help."

"Why is this sounding familiar. At least your staying out of my mind, this time. What do you need? You are out of my mind, right?"

"I need you to travel to Mars."

"Mars? I have a conference in four days on Babylon 5 with the NonAlign Council. Deleen's already waiting on me."

"It must wait, Mister President. Or Earth will most certainly perish."

"What's happened?"

"If you do not act, Matthew will be the victim of a witch hunt. And all that is, will be lost."

"Gideon?"

"Matthew has been transferred to MarsDome, where he is facing a military inquiry."

"Inquiry for what? I've heard nothing of this."

"Nor would you. For the masters behind this play, are devious and have their own agenda. You are the only voice of reason, John. You chose Matthew for his ability on pissing people off. He took command, not to stop at anything to find the Cure for Earth. And now, he is being betrayed."

"Who is doing this? EarthForce?"

"In a sense. Let us just say, that over the amount of time he has commanded the _Excalibur_, he has made a formidable enemy, that will stop at nothing but to silence him, and take _Excalibur_ for themselves."

"And they are?"

"They are simply, the Storm."

"I want to know everything, if I'm going to get involved in this."

"You must, get involved, John. For Matthew has a predetermined path, he must walk upon. And being hanged out to dry, is not it," Galen paused, staring in John's eyes, peering through his soul. "And you have the solemn duty, to save a friend."

"A friend? Who?"

"An associate, comrade at arms, partner in crime so to speak; Michael Garibaldi."

"What does Michael have to do with this?"

"Go to Mars. There your questions will be

answered. But be weary and trust no one," Galen warned as he removed a black spherical object from his coat and placed it on his desk. "It can be used once, and only once."

"A frequency jammer?"

"The foe that we face have in their possession Shadow technology. Little or no evidence of my intervention must be presented."

Sheridan activated the link on his desk. "Yes, Mister President?" Came his aid, a Ranger named Martin.

"Martin, ready WhiteStar-1. I'm leaving immediately."

"Yes, Mister President."

By time Sheridan turned around, Galen had vanished off into the night.

"I hate it when they do that."


	10. chapter 9

****

-----chapter 9-----

__

March 16

1100 hrs EST

The _Pathfinder _emerged from the blue swirling jump point, streaking out of hyperspace and returning to normal space. Mars, hanging dead ahead with the usual traffic orbiting around the red planet.

Matthew Gideon sat secured in a shuttle as it emerged from the flight bay of the _Pathfinder_. The three engines igniting as they cleared the bow of the ship, and dived towards Mars through the traffic.

Matthew had been on a Warlock destroyer before. They were the next technological step in space technology from the Omega destroyer.

The Warlock was more powerful than the old Omega. Her engine drive allowing her to streak through the upper atmosphere of a planet which all along was a dead zone for all of Earth starships.

She also was the first Earth made starship that achieved artificial gravity without the use of a grav-axis. This being achieved similar to how _Excalibur_ achieved artificial gravity; the propulsion system.

Holding twice the fighter compliment of the Omega, the only ship on the food chain above the Warlock was the _Excalibur_. And she was the only of her kind. But capable of taking on a Warlock. Matthew only hoped that day would never come.

The shuttle during its descent encountered heavy chop in the atmosphere that induced turbulence in the shuttle. Matthew sitting in his seat un-shackled, but with two marine guards with high powered PPGs ever by his side.

The shaking ended, attracting Matthew's gaze to the cockpit canopy which displayed the domes of Mars. Each dome holding thousands of thousands humans and aliens.

The domes sprung up over night. After Mars was declared a free colony, the domes were constructed all over the surface of the red planet. The terra-forming process continued, and Mars for the first time since colonization had a voice.

Matthew remembered what it was like before the planet was freed by Sheridan and his Alliance. It was a rough planet. That fact which still remained. But an off-worlder these days were not bludgeon to death.

The shuttle descended to the Sol Inter System Space Port where shuttles rose constantly to their destination. A scene similar to Earth; but not no more. 

Ever since the Plague, Earth remained quarantined. All the space ports of the blue continent, closed until further notice. Closed, until the Cure was found. And the cure was not being found with Gideon off _Excalibur_.

The shuttle landed, and Gideon was escorted to a land skimmer. The land car taking him straight to the inter-dome passage that led to the central dome that governed Mars; Mars Dome. 

The car stopped, and Gideon was escorted into the central complex. A building he first visited nearly two years ago when he first found out he was being transferred off _Phoenix_ onto a ship which would lead a crusade to find the Cure.

After his debriefing was completed, he caught a ride on the Omega destroyer _Agamemnon_ which took him to Babylon 5. There he met with advisors from the Non-Align Council. There he found out that President Sheridan himself chose him for the job. 

He felt honored. 

And scared as hell.

After making a 'deal with the devil', or the Drazi ambassador, he and General Miller of EarthForce left Babylon 5 where parked beside the five mile long station was his new command. 

__

Excalibur.

She was the largest ship he had ever seen. Easily twice the size of his Explorer cruiser _Phoenix_. And much more powerful.

Named after the ancient sword of legend, which was yielded by King Arthur who brought order and peace to the land of Camelot. The reincarnate _Excalibur_ would lead the crusade for the cure.

And now, he was back on Mars, where it all began. The car came to a stop, and guards approached his door as it slid open. As the sound of the dome hit Gideon, there he was standing out of the car, deep down, wondering if it would be where it would end.


	11. chapter 10

****

-----chapter 10-----

__

1250 hrs EST

John Mathis had the conn, as Elizabeth Lochley retired to her cabin grabbing much needed rest after travelling four hours in a Starfury to get to the _Excalibur_.

Travelling in hyperspace was far different than enduring normal space travel. In normal space, the stars streaked by endlessly and at a crawl. In hyperspace, there were no stars; just the endless shifting of the tides of hyperspace; which often caused disorientation; Hyper Space Travel Syndrome, HSTS. To prevent the syndrome to occur on cruise liners carrying passengers, the ship's were not equipped with view ports

Yet Lochley was travelling in a Starfury with a cockpit, giving her a panorama view of hyperspace. To her hyperspace was like a fiery hell. Always shifting, always moving. And always dangerous. Very few ships these days could travel off hyperspace navigational beacons. _Excalibur_ was one of them.

Once you traveled off the beacon, one minor shift through the tides could throw you parsecs away. Leaving you lost in space.

Only once had a search and rescue op succeeded. That was ten years ago, shortly after John Sheridan took command of Babylon 5. The S&R was mounted and ordered by Sheridan when the Explorer cruiser _Cortez_ was lost in hyperspace.

John knew Lochley would need all the rest she could get. Travelling solo in hyperspace could become very exhausting. The fatigue not a pleasant element when severe command decisions would be instructed. So John decided not to summon her until they were ready to jump into normal space. 

Which was only two hours away.

He had gone over the readiness of _Excalibur_'s battle systems five times already. Just as many times he had linked engineering on the status of the Gravimetric reactor. The key in _Excalibur_'s swift speeds, and artificial gravity.

He had even made a personal inspection to the flight deck. Ready to launch were the entire complement of _Excalibur_'s fighters. Starfurys and Thunderbolts alike, they sat ready to propel themselves into danger.

And the best ace pilots were ready to risk their lives. All they were waiting on; the order. They would fly through hell and back if they were ordered to. They would sacrifice their lives if it meant the safety of the _Excalibur_, and the completion of the Mission.

The pilots were waiting in the locker room connected to the flight deck, waiting, talking, treading the deck. Wishing they were outside, than inside. 

There time would come soon enough. And not all of them would return. John knew it. Lochley knew it. Every commanding officer knew that their officers sent out into danger on a mission, would not always return. It was the thing John did not anticipate when he was given his own command.

In all the years serving with Gideon, he wondered how he could do it. Send the letter to the next-a-kin after the death of someone in his command. He did not know how any commanding officer could accomplish the task, with little or no emotional connection.

John and Matthew had been through a lot. During their time on _Excalibur_, and their time serving on the _Phoenix_. Over the years a relationship, border lining the fine line of friendship, and comradeship. Matthew even trusted John with the detail of what occurred on the _Cerberus_ eleven years ago.

The _Cerberus_ was attacked by an unknown vessel. Inspecting the damage was on the destroyer was Ensign Matthew Gideon. As he was outside, Gideon saw the conventional engines illuminate bright blue, driving the Omega destroyer away from him. Shifting his vision away from the _Cerberus_, he saw the ship pass in front of the system's sun to commence another attack run on the _Cerberus_.

The _Cerberus_ was hit again as the jump point formed before them. The ship exploded like a sun advancing into super nova before they could escape.

And now, John could not help but shake the feeling, that the same people, the Storm that were involved in the salvage of the Shadow ship that destroyed the _Cerberus_, were the same ones in charge of inquiry Gideon soon would face.

There was an amount of trust that John never knew could be maintained by the commanding officer and executive officer. John never had many friends, other than those in the Psi Corp. There were never any _mundane_ that would associate with him. Not even after the Corp fell after the Telepath Conflict.

Yet, Matthew, was like no other mundane. Knowing that John was a Telepath, and that mundanes feared his kind for their abilities, Matthew always had trust in John.

John only wished that he could return the trust, by somehow getting his captain out of the trouble he was in. He would do anything for Matthew. Numerous times in the past, Matthew had helped John out.

But John was standing with his hands tied behind his back, and about to go head first into battle, while Matthew faced a battle all of his own.

__

Everyone had their own demons to face, Galen had once said. _When the time comes to face those demons, it must be done so, alone._

John knew all about demons. He had some of his own. He doubted that there was a person, or alien for that matter who did not.

To this day, John's demons remained. But did not haunt him as severe as they did, until _Excalibur_ came across the Path of Sorrows.

An alien in a orb, sitting, waiting to join with an individuals mind, examining their past, and the guilt. The alien did not feed on the guilt, but forgiveness. The alien showed John that forgiveness was possible. And ever since then, the cries he imagined that he was in part responsible for, never haunted his dreams again.

It was in the final days of the Conflict. The Psi Corps were about to mount an offensive against the Opposition, when one of the Opposition leaders was captured. John was assigned to administer the _sleeper_ injections that would hinder her abilities. Right before the complex fell victim under an opposition assault, it was revealed to him by the leader that she had given her life to the Opposition. Inside her was a homing beacon that would guide the Opposition's assault.

John with a handful of fellow Psi Corp members were in the air in a shuttle when the complex was engulfed in a fire cloud.

For so long the cries he imagined of those trapped in the complex when the attack hit haunted his dreams. He felt so much guilt, but he continued to stride forward.

The Corp fell, the Opposition was disbanded, and telepaths were allowed to join EarthForce. And if not for Gideon's persistence, John would be on the _Phoenix_ or some other Earth ship, instead of where he was now. John owed Matthew so much. And he was not about to let his commanding officer, and friend down. Not a chance in hell.


	12. chapter 11

****

-----chapter 11-----

__

1300 hrs EST

****

Sectors away from Earth in hyperspace, the sleek hawk-like form of _WhiteStar_-1 knifed through the crimson tides to their destination. Not to far behind them, following undiscovered was a jet black craft with two wings and a stabilizer. 

On the bridge, President Sheridan sat at her conn, observing as the body of the crew of humans and Minbari worked together in perfect unity. The result of years of intense training.

Every time Sheridan returned to the _WhiteStar_, he always sensed nostalgia. Yearning for the good old days when he was in charge of a starship, and responsible for a couple of hundred people, not a quarter of a million, and not a qua-trillion as he was now.

__

WhiteStar 1, was the same White Star gunboat that took Sheridan into the final battle of the Shadow War and the Earth Civil War.

Standing at the executive officer station, Captain Thomas Kincaid looked away from his station, to see a legend at the command of his ship. 

"Mister President," Kincaid spoke out, pulling Sheridan back to reality. "We have your link with Babylon 5 established."

"I'll take it in my quarters, Captain."

"Re-routing," Kincaid bowed as Sheridan stood up and proceeded off the bridge.

Four minutes later, Sheridan entered his quarters, which were the largest onboard, second to the captain's stateroom. Inside, was a stateroom personalized by Sheridan. Whenever Alliance matters called him off world, he always traveled on _WhiteStar_ 1.

Pictures of his childhood, and his numerous postings. The one picture that meant the most to him was the picture taken when he first arrived on Babylon 5. Then it was Susan Ivanova, Michael Garibaldi, Zack Allen, and Stephen Franklin.

__

Stephen. Sheridan's heart went out to the former chief medical officer of Babylon 5. For while Sheridan was flying through the stars, Stephen was on Earth. With little than four years remaining before the plague adapted to Earth's biology.

Why had it been five years? Why could it not had been seven, or ten. But why five? It seemed like everything happened in five year intervals these days.

On the vid screen was the message: _TRANSMISSION RECEIVED_.

Sheridan went to the screen's controls, and accepted the link.

"Here we go," John muttered.

"John?" The voice of his wife came from her visual on the screen. "What are you doing?"

"Deleen, you'll have to take care of the meeting."

"That is not possible. You know it is you that the Council want to speak with."

"Then, the meeting will have to be postponed, Deleen."

"I hope you have a good reason for blowing off the Council like this."

__

If you only knew, my love.

"I have to go to Mars."

"Mars? Why, Mars?"

"I can't get into this over this channel, Deleen."

"It is a secured, channel, John. This meeting is very important for the Council, and the InterStellar Alliance."

"Not as important as saving a friend."

Deleen's hassling seized as quick as it began when friend reached her. "Friend? Michael?"

"He's in trouble, Deleen."

"Is he alright?"

"He's fine, Deleen. You know Michael, getting into trouble always."

"And is this an official appointment? You must be careful with your current status, not to interfere,"

"He doesn't know I'm coming. Deleen, sweetheart, I know. Not to abuse my status as president. You've told me that a thousand of times before. You know, your like my mother the first time I took the car out on that Saturday night."

"John, I'm,"

"Don't be sorry," Sheridan smiled. "It's one of your charms."

"Reminding you of your mother? I must be mistaken. I hope."

"I'll explain it later. Delay the Council, Deleen as long as you can. Tell them, I'm at a security meeting about the Plague on Earth. I shouldn't be on Mars very long."

"Be safe, John."

"If you have to, have Captain Lochley talk to the Council. They rely on her."

"Captain Lochley is off station. Something about checking colonial defenses in the Damocles system."

"That's odd," Sheridan remarked.

"What's odd?"

"Two weeks ago a Ranger detachment checked the colony's defenses against possible attack from the Hand. They reported the defenses were adequate, but not strong enough to repel a full out assault."

"Perhaps they want a second opinion."

"Your right. Take care, Deleen."

John placed his hand on the vid screen, craving to be on Babylon 5, to hold his wife, his friend, his lover in his arms.

The screen blinked, and returned to the screen displaying the seal of the InterStellar Alliance.

Before he left, his eyes fell upon the crew pictures from Babylon 5. There were numerous pictures of the old gang, but the one that touched him the most was the one taken shortly before they all departed along their separate ways from Babylon 5.

Saying good-bye to Babylon 5 with his five-mile walk with Deleen before they left, was the hardest thing he had ever had to do. He would had rather stared down the gun of the Shadows and Vorlons than to say good bye. 

Saying good-bye to all his friends, the hardest thing anyone had to do.

Citizen G'Kar, leaving B5 with radical telepath Lyta Alexander to explore the rim. Zack Allen, staying onboard as chief security. Vir, remaining on B5 as Centauri ambassador. Michael Garibaldi, returning home to Mars where he was the head of Edgar's Industries. Stephen Franklin, returning home to Earth as head of the most expansive medical program in existence. Londo Mollari, the Emperor of Centauri Republic

The good-byes were said early for Susan Ivanova. She was his right and left hand at numerous times. The death of Marcus Cole hitting her deeper than anyone else. She decided to leave B5, as captain of the Warlock destroyer _Foxfire_.

As the old masters of B5 left, it left the door open for the new crew. One in particular, Captain Elizabeth Lochley. Sheridan chose Lochley to run B5, because he knew she had the guts to do it. And as far, she has.

In an odd way, the hardest thing about leaving Babylon 5, was leaving her. Even though, he made numerous visits to B5 around the year, it just was not the same.

John Sheridan missed the old days. At times in the middle of the night, tears would swell up in his eyes, missing those old days. Knowing he could never go back, but only keep moving forward.


	13. chapter 12

****

-----chapter 12-----

__

1450 hrs EST

****

Matthew Gideon stood before the board of inquiry. A panel of three superior officers. General Monroe, Admiral Harris, and the one person to surprise him the most, General Miller. The same Miller that gave him command of _Excalibur_. 

General Monroe was the first to break the long silence trumpeting in the chambers, overlooking the ground level of MarsDome. 

AThis board of inquiry is now convened. We are gathered here today to probe key command decisions of Captain Matthew Joseph Gideon. Current commanding officer of the _Excalibur_.@

AThis inquiry will hear details, and see evidence of Captain Gideon=s command decisions which now stands before us,@ Admiral Harris spoke.

AThese hearings will be monitored by a member of the Bureau of MetaSensory.@ Monroe announced. The woman sitting in the darkness in the back of the room. 

APermission to speak?@ Gideon asked as he stood behind his table.

AGranted,@ Monroe answered as he gazed at a compad obscured from view from the platform desk.

AWith all due respect to the inquiry, but I am entitled to council.@

ANoted,@ Monroe responded coldly. AYour only defense Captain, will be the truth.@

Gideon knew as before, he was going to be burned at the stake. There were no one vid call in the military. 

AState your name and current posting for the record,@ Miller ordered.

Gideon stood firm as he always did when he faced an enemy. But he never would had believed that the enemy would be his own people. AGideon, Matthew Joseph. Captain, attached to the Earth Alliance Starship _Excalibur_.@

__

And as Galen would say, AAnd so it begins.@

APlease, sit, Captain Gideon.@ Admiral Harris ordered. AThe Inquisition now commences.@

ACaptain Gideon,@ Monroe said as he looked at the compad before him. 

APlease recount for this hearing the events that took place on May 13, 2267.@ 

AI=m sorry, but the date is just one of many.@

APerhaps we can help you,@ Monroe answered. A_Excalibur_ was on tour through the Eridani star system when you came across an escape pod carrying two occupants.@

Gideon nodded his head.

AYou recall this event, now?@ Harris inquired.

AI do. Onboard the life pod, were two individuals, Lyssa and Durkanni. They were two government agents from a near-bye planet. They life support diminishing, _Excalibur_ answered their distress beacon and brought them onboard.

ATo our surprise, they wore human influenced clothes, and spoke perfect English. They came onboard, alleging that Earth has been influencing their culture.@

AAnd what did you discover?@

ADuring my investigation, another encounter with an agent, Kendar, reinforced my belief, that the influence was coming from their planet. Preventing another civil war, the agency Kendar was employed by, was using transmissions sent by Earth, to construct a conspiracy in which their people were being controlled by an extra terrestrial civilization.@ 

AAnd what did you do at the end, Captain?@ Miller inquired as he skimmed through Gideon=s personal journal on his pad.

AWe released Lyssa and Durkani from our custody, and sent them back to their homeworld. Durkani shortly followed. After debating a course of action, I ordered _Excalibur_ to their homeworld, and dropped probes carrying encyclopedia galacticas on the planet. To reveal the truth.@

AAnd what did you hope to accomplish when you dropped the encyclopedias on their world?@ Monroe inquired.

"To let the top off the conspiracy. That their government was imprisoning them to. I saw it as an acceptable risk.@

AAcceptable risk?@ Monroe echoed the term. 

AYes, sir. One day Earth would make first contact with their civilization. Would it had been preferable to make first contact with a cleared name, or hatred?@

AAnd in the process of you letting the top of their conspiracy, which was the sole factor in which kept their planet stable and intact, civil wars have recommenced. You may have signed a billion people=s death warrant, Captain.@ Monroe said, staring Gideon down. "Yet, you may have cleared humanity's names. But from intelligence reports, they're may not be a planet for first contact within the year."

__

This is not looking good.


	14. chapter 13

****

-----chapter 13-----

__

March 17

0700 hrs EST

The White Star emerged from the jump point connecting normal and hyperspace, and cruised towards Mars.

Normally when the president was onboard _WhiteStar 1_, there was a squad of other White Star gunboats. But the time needed in supplying the White Star=s in Sheridan=s entourage was not acceptable.

After encountering disagreements from his ministers on Minbar, Sheridan boarded _WhiteStar _1and ordered a course for Mars.

He was not looking forward to his duty ahead. Michael over the years had become his best friend. When at first when he took command of B5, there was a sense of distrust between the two. Mostly coming from Garibaldi.

But Garibaldi had good reasons. His previous commander, Jeffrey Sinclair was the only one the security chief trusted. And after he revealed parts of a conspiracy to assassinate Luis Santiago, and after he was shot in the back by one of his own men, he awoke to find Sinclair reassigned to the Minbari homeworld, and Sheridan in command.

The tensions would ease over the years they served together, as the role of Babylon 5 changed from being a place of peace and unity, to a command post for two of the deadliest wars in the universe=s history. The Shadow War, which was a war that stretched endlessly from a thousand years ago. The Civil War, which started after Santiago was assassinated when _EarthForce 1_'s fusion reactor went critical, and his vice president, an ambitious man with his own agenda, Morgan Clark seized the presidency, and turned Earth into a dictatorship.

The general order was to eliminate anyone that opposed the current administration. Sheridan saw the path Earth was falling into, and chose to stand up against his own government.

Babylon 5 went independent, and an Earth Force assault group attacked in one of the bloodiest battles B5 had the misfortune of encountering.

It seemed like what would later be called the Epsilon Campaign was a hundred years away to Sheridan. And now, he was heading straight into another battle.

But in this battle, Sheridan would not know who were his allies, or the nemesis. Those were the hardest battles. And Sheridan learned that the hard way.

A Minbari flyer emerged from the flight bay of the White Star, which was large enough to maintain five Minbari fighters, and a handful of flyers.

The _White Star_s relied on their swift maneuverability, and powerful weaponry for defense and offense purposes. The fighters were mainly kept for training and special missions.

The flyer dove through the traffic orbiting Mars, and was immediately permitted clearance to land at the military base nearby Mars Dome. 

__

The advantage of being a president, your always put to the top of the list, Sheridan had once said after a few months in office on Babylon 5.

Preventing him to think about the five mile long city that he once called home, he diverted his attention to the tasks ahead. Approach Michael, and save Gideon. But he did not know what power he would be able to pull, and not compromise his position.

But when a Techno-Mage approaches you, as he did in his dreams some years ago, you listen. Many people classified him as being loony, and crazy. _The stress of the job_ Michael had said.

And when he _stole_ the _Excalibur_ and the _Victory_ from their dry docks, everyone who knew of the incident, which were not many, knew he had went rogue. A habit Sheridan had from time to time.

Yet, Sheridan had a reason for his rogue actions. As he always had. The two Victory class destroyers were the only line of defense for Earth.

When the Shadow Planet Killer emerged in Earth space, and the Drakh fleet beside it, everyone knew Sheridan was serious. And everyone feared that it was too late.

With the self-sacrifice of the _Victory_ and all her crew, _Excalibur_ was given enough time to destroy the planet killer before it engulfed Earth, and killed the planet.

The Battle for Earth, was the last military campaign that Sheridan took place in. In fact, he led the defense. Now with the continued threat of the Drakh, and the unknown storm on the horizon known as the Hand, Sheridan knew that if ever another battle dawned, he would rather be on the front lines, than behind a desk.

The next battle he did not look forward to, perhaps opposing his best friend. A friend that he had gone through life and death with. A friend which he had gone through hell and back with. Michael was the last person he ever wanted to contest.


	15. chapter 14

****

-----chapter 14-----

__

0736 hrs EST

In all her commands, Lochley had never ever dreamed about commanding a starship like the _Excalibur_. Her previous command before taking on the role as governor of Babylon 5 was the Omega destroyer _Rio Grande_. And she was nothing like _Excalibur_.

The _Rio Grande_.

The name brought back memories. Some good, some bad, and most of the memories were of tensed times. It was on the _Rio Grande_ that the civil war sparked.

Many of her crew wanted to go over to Sheridan=s liberation front. But Lochley reminded her crew that it was not their jobs as soldiers, to dictate policy. They were not trained to think, but to act.

To this day, not a hour went by, not a second ticked away that she wondered if staying under Clark=s administration was the right one. What if they went up to B5 one day and said they wanted to join up.

But she could, and probably would spend the rest of her life second guessing her decision. But that was the past. Her thoughts should be of the present.

The _Excalibur_ was one of her kind. Her sister ship the _Victory_ was destroyed during the Drakh=s attack on Earth. She was one of the kind. And she knew that Gideon would never let her forget that if she left a mark on his ship.

It was an honor to serve as commanding officer on a ship like _Excalibur_. The thoughts not pertaining to _Excalibur_=s mission was how things were faring on B5.

Corwin was a good officer, and long deserved the lieutenant commander bars. She knew that one day he would be up for his first command assignment. And when that day came, she would personally recommend him.

But she would have to live through the present to get to that point in the future.

Elizabeth Lochley, clad in her EarthForce uniform entered the bridge from the conference room in the aft section of the bridge. The designer of the _Excalibur_ designed the bridge to be accessible for deep range missions. The conference room, attached to the map room, which was attached to the command center.

Lochley moved through the map room, and entered the bridge from Mathis= summons while she took an hour rest. They had arrived at the jump point to ambush the battle wagons.

AReport,@ Lochley said as she sat in the command chair. The only one dressed in the EarthForce duty uniform, while the others wore the _Excalibur_=s duty uniform. The red and gray suits which none of the crew enjoyed.

AWe=ve arrived at the jump point. The trackers show that the battle wagons are two minutes away.@

AShip status?@

ABattle ready, Captain.@

Lochley moved to the command chair, and stood beside it, with her arms clasped behind her back. AMay I have your attention?@

In a milli-second, all on the bridge had their heads turned to Lochley except for the two pilots maintaining the _Excalibur_=s position against the tides of hyperspace.

AKeep in mind people, we can easily plow over these Raiders like they were bugs. But if we do, our mission will be a failure. We need for them to believe that we=re throwing at them all we have. But not to the affect of risking our people=s lives. 

AMaintain line of communications with your departments. Weapons control, concentrate on taking out Target Alpha out of the equation with 75% efficiency. Decrease weapon strength by fifteen percent. The Raider's, or anyone for that matter does not know the efficiency of _Excalibur_=s guns. We=ll use that to make the Raiders believe we=re throwing everything we have at them.

ATarget Bravo is the secondary target. Commander Air Group has in his load out, a tracker buoy. He will deploy the buoy, and it will connect to Bravo=s engine drive. There, we will track Bravo to its home base and show them the full efficiency of _Excalibur_.@

AAccording to the Bainbridge Accords, all escape pods will be recovered. Ours and Raiders. We=ll show them mercy that which they do not posses. I=m sure a life sentence will be a splendid precursor to hell.@

Lochley paused, looking at every officer under her commands expressions. AAny questions?@

There were none. Just nods of encouragement.

ALieutenant, I want it understood that they are to fire the first shot.@

AUnderstood, Captain.@

AAs soon as we hit norm space, I want a comm established with them.@

ACaptain?@ Mathis asked puzzled.

AThis is my watch. They will have every attempt to surrender, Lieutenant.@

AAye, Captain. We=re ready to jump.@

AUnderstood,@ Lochley nodded as she sat on the edge of the command chair. AHere we go, jump!@


	16. chapter 15

****

-----chapter 15-----

__

0745 hrs EST

****

The Raider battlewagons= sensors immediately picked up _Excalibur_=s jump point formation. Before the _Excalibur_ emerged, and the jump point vanished into the stars, the pilots were manning their fighters.

The battlewagons were built to jump in, deploy their fighters, and jump out if the situation got to hot. Battlewagons were generally not equipped to go into ship-to-ship combat. The Battlewagons were the source of the Raider=s ability to attack systems before anyone could respond. The battlewagons were the most important aspect to their organization. And if the battlewagons were taken out, than the Raiders would be no more.

The Raiders were not a very honorable group of thieves. Many times they would run from a fight if the odds were against them. But that would depend on how important their objective was.

Quantium 40, the alloy used in building weapons, and jump gates were the hottest objectives in the Raiders= agenda. They generally steered away from narcotics. But it would all depend on how much it would be on the black market.

Unlike other battlewagons, _Excalibur_=s current targets were armed for ship to ship encounters. But the skippers of the battlewagons knew they were no match against the destroyer bearing down on them.

AIn optimal target range,@ John announced as the report came over his comm-set.

AOpen frequency,@ Lochley commanded as she stood from her chair and stood behind the navigation stations.

AFrequency opened,@ Mathis announced.

ATo Raider party, stand down and prepare to surrender your vessels. You have ten seconds to comply.@

With her hands behind her back, she looked over her left shoulder at the screen that displayed the eyes view of the Excalibur=s forward scanner array. On the screen were three dimensional views of the two battlewagons as their fighters were launched.

AI think they have given their answer,@ Mathis announced as he saw Lochley return to her chair.

ALaunch fighters,@ Lochley ordered as she sat in the seat.

Four wings of fighters, ranging from the space fighter Aurora Starfurys, to the aero space Thunderbolts launched from the launch bays, and launch ports.

Ahead of the fighters were the Raider=s inbound.

The Raiders used old out of date, heavily modified Belt Alliance fighters. Fighters well armored and equipped with high-powered weapons Their only advantage over Earth Force fighters were their ability to skim through the atmosphere of a planet. When a Starfury attempted such a maneuver, it would become caught in the gravity well, and slowly free fall in the atmosphere.

When the first Thunderbolts rolled off the assembly line, it leveled off the playing field against the Raiders. The Thunderbolts were heavily armed, armored, and could fly in an atmosphere.

It was the Thunderbolt piloted by the CAG that let off the first shot from his phasic plasma cannon. The intense volley soon to be one of two dozen in either direction: the _Excalibur_=s side, and the Raider=s side of the field.

What came next was an intense dog fight.

The advantage the Starfury=s had over their sisters the Thunderbolts, were that while in space, they were quicker in maneuverability. They could stop on a dime, turn a 360 in two seconds, and speed off in the opposite direction.

A Starfury leveled in a kill angle and released a volley from its twin phasic plasma cannons. The twin bursts hit their target and obtained a kill.

A Raider fighter moved in behind a Thunderbolt, while a fellow Thunderbolt came in behind the Raider. Before the trailing Thunderbolt could acquire a safe lock, which would prevent his fellow Thunderbolt hit, the Raider opened up on the trailing contact with a volley from his aft battery.

The aft battery barrage screamed towards the Thunderbolt and did not give the pilot time to evade. The Thunderbolt exploded in the night sky.

On _Excalibur_, Lochley sat in the command chair, looking at the _periscope_ which showed the current situation outside for her to observe and strategize.

On her scope, the first wing of Raider fighters were beginning to make their run on _Excalibur_.

On the dorsal fin, the twin plasma gattling guns were on-line, with their targeting sensors acquiring the Raiders. Once in range, tracer fire of blue plasma would stretch to their targets.

On the dorsal end of the bow, the intercept guns were locked on to their target. Once in range, red bursts of energy would be fired at any incoming weapons launched from the Raiders.

The forward and aft guns were on-line, but more ideal against another starship than the smaller, swifter fighters. 

AInbound,@ John reported.

AFire,@ Lochley commanded.

In a milli-second, the force of _Excalibur_ was displayed. Defense fire from the interceptor guns, the offense from the gattling guns and forward guns all revealed why the _Excalibur_ was the most powerful ship in the systems.

There was no need to recall a wing of her fighters to help protect the ship. Her weapons systems could take care of the fighters. So the fighters remained in the space in between the battle wagons, and the _Excalibur_ as it was swarmed by Raider fighters launching attacks, and rolling out of the way from weapons fire.

The _Excalibur_ was hit by Raider fire, but managed well. The skin of the destroyer was constructed of a crystalline fiber to refract weapon hits. Cutting the damage ratio immensely, compared to the thick bulky armor of an Earth Force destroyer.

If it was an Omega gunning into battle, the continuous pounding that the _Excalibur_ was receiving, would had left the thick armor burning red hot with melted armor. The _Excalibur_=s crystalline hull allowed the impact to refract, and the blemish from the impact to eventually dissolve away. 

This battle could be over in no time. But it was important to show the false pretense that they were doing their best. It was important to tag Target Bravo and track it back to their home base when they re-supplied and re-armed with fighters.

At that time, the full intensity of the _Excalibur_ would be known. And once again a mighty blow would be made against the Raiders. It would take them years to heal from _Excalibur_=s attack.

The Raiders were like a pest problem. They would keep coming back, returning for more. There seemed to be no way to completely wipe the Raider pestilence off the face of the universe.

So the Raiders would return, and they would be driven away. They would return, and be driven away once again. And this would keep going, until the pestilence was exterminated once and for all.

Attempts were made by Earth Force to infiltrate spies into the Raider organization. All the agents sent in, never reported back. So the key in destroying the Raiders was far from being discovered. And the Raiders were far from being destroyed. That is unless they could understand the organization from the inside.


End file.
